Reach him at 415-435-2652, on Twitter at @thearknewspaper and on Facebook at fb.me/thearknewspaper. The shop owners filed a $2 million claim against the town. In 1999 the department moved into its current location at 1155 Tiburon Blvd. A video showing three Tiburon Peninsula police officers repeatedly questioning the identity of a Black business owner working in his Fountain Plaza clothing store about 1 a.m. Aug. 21 has sparked widespread outrage within the community and prompted town officials to order an independent investigation into the conduct of two of the officers. Lewis Powell, Sgt. I expressed to him that there was no crime going on and we were going about our business. Doesnt the business owner have some responsibility for not complying, which also couldve de-escalated the situation? asked Reedlands resident Elizabeth Shapiro on Nextdoor. "This particular day we had just received a huge inventory and we just wanted to come out and put the inventory out before Saturday morning," said Khalif. You know what, put the key in the door and were outta here., Khalif is seen picking through his keys as he tells Blasi to stand back and not raise his voice at him: Just chill and Ill put my key in the door., Before he can, neighbor Ken Simpson, a part-time resident of a Main Street apartment, yells down twice, Thats his store.. Maybe this happened to us because we can bring this out and make sure we have these conversations in our homes and with our families and loved ones and members of community and create something positive thats going to make Tiburon better for all of us, she said. A key component of that training is the expectation that our officers will utilize de-escalation techniques in situations like there. The video circulating on social media was recorded on Khalifs friends cellphone from inside the store and was posted to Yemas Instagram account, where it has been viewed nearly 45,000 times, and to its Facebook page, where it has been shared nearly 1,000 times, each garnering hundreds of comments. Two five-member interview panels, one consisting of community members and the other of professionals, held two meetings to narrow the applicants down to three, said Town Manager Greg Chanis. One of several discussion threads on Nextdoor.com had racked up 234 comments by the Arks press deadline. She stressed the importance to use the incident as a learning step.. Whatever the intention of the responding officers, the interchange inappropriately deteriorated from helpful to confrontational, Fredericks said in the statement, adding that Tiburon officers are trained and expected to de-escalate situations such as these. Khalif started the brand with his wife when they were in college. Put your key in the door and were out of here. I think the town owes the police an apology, Joyce Wells said. D, Tiburon, CA 94920 |. Ultimately, I sign off on every hire for the town, Chanis said. Tiburon Town Manager Greg Chanis announced the resignation in a newsletter saying [Sgt. "He and I have been discussing the timing of his retirement for some time, but he only recently chose the date that corresponds with his entry into public service 54 years ago," Chanis said in the press release. Tiburon officials have selected a San Mateo police lieutenant as the town's next police chief, filling a post that had been vacant for six months. Tiburon Town Council & Belvedere City Council Virtual Town Hall & Community Forum 6:30 p.m. Aug. 27. https://zoom.us/j/95644043303 or 669-900-6833, meeting ID 956 4404 3303. Where do you live? Madfes says. However, he believes it would be difficult to continue being effective as a police officer in Tiburon.. All Rights Reserved. Monaghan has taught administration of justice at the San Mateo Community College District. First hired by the Belvedere Police Department in 2017, Blasi is considered a supervisor in Tiburon, where he earns an annual salary of $99,888 with a $20,324 benefits package. About 5 minutes into the footage, Blasi arrives on the scene, though Khalif notes that a third officer has also arrived a Belvedere patrol officer who is off screen but can be seen through the window in the separate video taken from inside the store and posted by Khalif to social media. While Tiburon Police Chief Michael Cronin and Town Manager Greg Chanis have ordered an independent investigation into the incident, the results of which will be reviewed by the Town Council, Cronin said neither Blasi nor the two other officers involved would be suspended or put on administrative leave amid the investigation. Next time, just walk and the audio and video cut out. It looked like they were harassing him and I thought, This has gone on for several minutes. It just felt like it was going to progress into something ugly., Khalif called the fact that the situation was diffused by a white neighbor yelling down to vouch for him the icing on the cake., A Black man cannot be in this space in this particular hour and say, Im OK, no need to be talking to you, move along. Khalif described seeing a lone police officer circle the block a number of times before stopping his patrol vehicle and knocking on the storefront door. And he wanted us to prove who we are. Protesters march Saturday, Jan. 28, in Memphis, Tenn., over the death of Tyre Nichols, who died after being beaten by Memphis police. Awash said other business owners work late at night and pointed to portraits of the couple that are clearly visible through the storefront window. The settlement was announced. At the conclusion of the investigation the report will be provided to the Town Manager for review and appropriate action will be taken based on the findings of the investigator, Cronin said. Where people know me? Im like, wait, did this happen in Tiburon? Offensive text messages exchanged between police officers in the Los Angeles suburb of Torrance, California, have hit the news and brought a spotlight on systemic discriminatory practices within the department.. If this is your store, put the key in the door, Blasi can be heard saying. Laurie Nilsen is the Emergency Services Coordinator for both towns. A Black business owner believes he was racially profiled by police as he was filling inventory inside his store last Friday at 1 a.m. Accountability for our actions is something that everyone should want, doubly so from public servants whose job is to keep us safe, wrote Nate Lee, a Tiburon resident. Yema's wife says the officer had his hand on his gun. The argument continued for a few more minutes, with both Blasi and Khalif raising their voices. Scott Adams faces 'consequence culture' as U.S. newspapers drop Dilbert, Tom Cruise's 'ditching' of Suri showcased by Judd Apatow's 'co-parenting' joke, ex-Scientology exec says. TAKE ACTION: Find resources to help with equality, justice and race issues. "Just because you've never seen me here before I do not have to prove to you that I have to be here," said Khalif in the video. Khalif refused. Proceeds from clothing sales help send orphans go to school. Persons seeking assistance need only lift the phone to be connected with a dispatcher. Thats when we knew he had already called for back up. In 1999 the department moved into its current location at 1155 Tiburon Blvd. He previously worked at The San Francisco Chronicle as a Bay Area news editor and the Oakland Tribune as a senior news editor. However, Linda Emberson of Tiburon countered. Despite resigning, Blasi will cooperate with an independent investigation led by a lawyer the town retained, Chanis said. The protest, which featured a diverse array of Black speakers in the community, including Marin residents Paul Austin and Amber Allen-Peirson, called for police reformation, community reparations, and institutionalized changes to prevent further racial profiling. A virtual Tiburon town meeting was held Thursday night to discuss an interaction that took place over the weekend between police officers and the only Black store owners in the town. Is it your store that's all we want to know? Blasi has responded to numerous law enforcement-related questions on Quora, a question-and-answer website, over the last few years. Everything I was saying fell on deaf ears.. Why would the police believe some white guy yelling from his balcony and not the Black business owner stating he owned the business? she wrote. A video of the incident that Awash recorded was widely shared on social media, and the town released police body-camera footage. I fing live here, do not tell me about whatever, Khalif responds. In a year marked by the killings of Black people at the hands of law enforcement, leading to protests nationwide calling for police reform, the conduct of the Tiburon officers is particularly tone . If I tell you its my store, then what? Khalif asks in the video. TIBURON, Calif. (KGO) -- On Thursday night, a four-hour, heated virtual community meeting took place over an incident that happened in the small North Bay city of Tiburon, California. Matthew Tom has been working as a homepage editor at SFGATE since 2006. Khalif recalled saying, you came here because you saw three Black people in the store.. Still, other locals questioned Khalifs reaction to the police, and said he should have proved ownership when asked. Khalif, a resident for nearly 10 years, says hes been stopped while walking home and had to prove that he lives in Tiburon. Tiburon officials say an independent investigation is now underway, which is the reason why officers were not at Thursday's meeting. Its unfortunate but I think good will come of this, Awash said. Chief Michael Cronin is resigning after 12 years amid a blacklash over his handling of the George Floyd protests and a recent incident involving an officer and the only Black clothing store owner in Tiburon. Cronin quickly apologized, saying he stood in support of peaceful protests in Marin City and condemned racism, social injustice and police brutality. One of the. A statement agreed upon by all of the parties to the lawsuit said that investigations by the San Rafael Police Department and the FBI concluded that there was no criminal conduct and no criminal violation of Grimes civil rights by the sheriffs office. Thank you, see ya, Blasi says as he turns and walks away toward Fountain Plaza. Really? The police denied a racial motive and said they were doing their jobs. This isnt regular business hours, theres no customers in here. Owner Yema Khalif said he was insulted by the officer's demand to prove he owned the store and feels Blasi would have behaved differently if he had been white. Our community needs to come together and find real ways to train our police officers to police with empathy and love., Marin police face-off with Black merchant fuels, Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window), Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window), Alameda County DAs new policy will reduce prison sentences through widespread elimination of sentencing enhancements, Tiburon police face-off with Black merchant fuels outrage, probe, Draymond Green explains his issue with Black History Month: Why do we get the shortest month?. In addition to normal police activities, the police station also houses the Emergency Operations Center, which is equipped to manage disaster response for Tiburon and Belvedere. Owner believes he was filling inventory inside his store last Friday at a.m! 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